The Lake Bienne / Jolimont area covers 241 ha and the vine-growers, contrary to the other parts in the canton of Berne, are of Swiss-French origin and speak French. On the left-hand side of the lake, the vineyards are to be found between La Neuveville and Bienne. The vineyards take advantage from the reverberations of the lake and the rocks. On the right-hand side of the lake there are viticultural villages with charming names such as Iris, Tschugg and Cerlier.

The Lake Thoune area with 14 ha covers the regions of Spiez and Oberhofen, and is in fact already in the Eastern part of Switzerland.

There is a very small (2 ha) vineyard near Laufon (Zwingen), close to Basle. It also belongs to the Eastern part of Switzerland.

These three regions produce 16 different varieties that take on the names of their place of production.

Climate

Each of the three regions has its own specificity. The left-hand side of the Lake Bienne has plenty of sunshine. As for the right-hand side of the lake, the counterforts of Jolimont are set towards the South. In the Thoune region, the slopes are at 600 m altitude, exposed to the South and subjected to the foehn winds. Near Laufon, the vines are on a very steep slope (up to 45%) oriented towards the South and sheltered from the dry and cold Northern winds (bise).

Soil

In the region of Laufon and on the right- hand side of Lake Bienne the soils are very calcareous. On the right-hand side of Lake Bienne and on the island of St. Pierre, there are also molasses-type soils. The vineyards of the Lake Thoune are built on rocky ground with only a very slim layer of arable soil.